Generation Next is Teen Vogue's annual celebration of the next wave of diverse fashion designers. This year the talent incubator will include an official application process and a board of judges who will serve as mentors to fashion design students, providing resources to help them make it in an evolving industry. Part fund, part advisory board, part development, part demystifying the industry, Generation Next's intent is to support and elevate young students who have something to say through fashion design.
Apply to Generation Next 2023
Our mission is to give young designers* resources that will set them up for success, bringing them together with fashion industry insiders to create critical networking opportunities and foster new relationships.
*Must be 18 years or older to apply.
Submissions close on August 4th.
Your Judges
Edvin Thompson is a designer who fuses nostalgia for his younger years in Jamaica with New York City's progressive culture. His company, Theophilio, is a contemporary clothing brand based in Brooklyn. Cultural identity has been essential for implementing the ideology of his brand, where Thompson's designs are rooted in celebrations after overcoming obstacles and other triumphs along the way. As an immigrant, Thompson is also here to champion those voices, making Theophilio a wearable biography.
Elena Velez is an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. Her work is known for its nontraditional synthesis of metalwork and high fashion. Velez graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York and completed her studies at Central Saint Martins in London. Her company, founded in 2020, has been featured in Forbes for its work with midwestern creators and Velez's mission to democratize resources and gain recognition for artists outside of traditional creative capitals. Velez is the Council of Fashion Designers of America's 2022 Emerging Designer of the Year, a 2022 Vogue Fashion Fund winner, an Elle magazine 2023 Women of Impact honoree, and a Fashion Trust US Sustainability Award recipient.
Brittany Hampton is a creative director, designer, and wardrobe stylist. She leads styling campaigns and creative direction for brand lookbooks and celebrity clients such as Jordan Brand and StockX. Hampton started in 2015 after being named Diane von Furstenberg's global brand ambassador by the E! Network's House of DVF. Before that, Hampton was a wardrobe stylist for Nickelodeon and MTV Networks. She hosted the E! Networks' red carpet live streams for the Met Gala in 2016 and 2017 and the Oscars for E!'s Fashion Police. Hampton has also been honored in the fashion and beauty space as one of CCNY's freshman class of 2023 and is featured on Create & Cultivate 2023's Top 100 Women list.
Abrima Erwiah is the cofounder, with actor Rosario Dawson, of Studio 189, an artisan-produced fashion-lifestyle brand and social enterprise. Erwiah, a believer in fashion as an agent of social change, is also an advisor to organizations such as Gucci Changemaker, the H&M Global Change Award, the CFDA Sustainability Committee, and the Fashion Sustainability Act. She holds a BS in finance and international business from NYU Stern School of Business. She is a professor at Parsons School of Design, currently teaching a course called "AI, the Metaverse, and the Future of Fashion." In addition, Erwiah is the inaugural director of the Gromek Institute for Fashion Business and interim director of fashion programs for executive education at Parsons. Erwiah is a luxury goods/fashion industry executive with experience in sustainable development who has worked for brands such as Bottega Veneta, Cesare Paciotti, and Hermès/John Lobb. She's also the founder of Fashion Our Future, with designers including Virgil Abloh/Off-White and Tanya Taylor. This organization aims to leverage the power of fashion to engage underrepresented communities in the political process.
Rajni Jacques is a New York-based fashion director, creative director, and public speaker with years of experience in print and digital publishing, branded content development/execution, and brand building. A graduate of Rutgers College and the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, where she received her MA, Jacques has become an interdisciplinary creative with her hand in all facets of fashion. Jacques is no stranger to content curation, press relations, and journalism. She has been a fashion editor/director at prominent media titles such as The Fader, InStyle, Vibe, Nylon, Glamour, Allure, and Teen Vogue. She has also held leading positions outside of media, including as the public relations director of Christian Louboutin and creative lead at retailer Madewell. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies and start-ups and has starred on live television appearances to help create and curate brand identity, drive brand awareness, and influence growth. Since April 2021, Jacques has been the global head of fashion and beauty at Snapchat.
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Open only to legal residents of the US who are 18 or older and currently enrolled as a student in an accredited design school or program. Contest starts on June 30, 2023, and ends on August 4, 2023. Prize restrictions apply. For official rules/guidelines and prize details, go to www.teenvogue.com/story/generation-next-2023-legal.
FAQs
How many finalists will be selected?
Six winners will be selected and announced in September 2023.
How long is the judging process?
The deadline to apply is August 4, 2023, at midnight EST. Applicants will be asked to submit a visual example of their work and eventually a video interview before being chosen. Winners will be announced in September 2023.
What is required to apply?
Applicants should be enrolled in an accredited university or college and have a strong interest in fashion design. Entry requires a look book or visual sample of work to be critiqued by the panel of five judges.
Do I need to be in the US to apply?
Yes, the application process is open only to students in the United States.
Do I need to be an enrolled student to apply?
Yes, all applicants must be enrolled in an accredited university or college program in the United States.
How old do I have to be to apply?
Applicants need to be at least 18 years old.
How much is the prize money for each winner?
Each of the final winners will be awarded a sum of $1,000 and professional consultation with one of the five judges.
